The Maltese Mockingjay
by Christoph Andretti
Summary: Rocko Warner is a typical clever teenager with a thirst for mischief and thievery. After working his way from house to house and store to store, he finally forms a plan to make the one hit he wants more than anything. It just happens to be the home of the former symbol of hope and freedom, Katniss Everdeen. It should be easy. Right?


"So, Mr. Nagami, how'd you end up in Republic City?"

Lin Beifong had one of the most stressful months of her life. After the failed revolution of the Equalist movement, Lin had report after report to file and make detailing every single crime against nature that the three hundred plus accomplices of the movement caused. Not only that, but after the failed security measures and corruption that the force had gone through, Lin was a hot dog in a burning grill. Fortunately, extenuating circumstances gave her a slight reprieve of criticism, and she ultimately was back on the job within days. Losing one's bending was no easy task, and to get it back did take some rejuvenation.

After cleaning up the damage, and doing the tedious business-work that follows any tragedy/trouble that always seems to follow her and the avatar around, there was the matter of Avatar Korra's safety. The head-strong, and quite stubborn teenage girl had all but doomed herself from being captured, nearly killed, and had definitely dodged a bullet with her bending powers being given back. The White Lotus had visited not a week later and immediately raised complaints about the lax measures and security around the most important person in the bending world. Of course, those crusty and unadaptive crustaceans blamed her for all of the security shortcomings. Soon, after going straight to he city council and government, the White Lotus was triumphant.

Millions of yuan would be put towards the protection and safety of Avatar Korra. It's not like it could have been used for anything better, Lin thought to herself as she looked at the fresh-faced and impressionable young man in front of her. The man was around as tall as the Avatar, and wore a nondescript light-blue suit with brown pants. He had grass-green eyes and straw-brown hair that was barely cropped towards his eye. His eyebrows furrowed as he considered the question brought to him.

"Well, I heard about about the University, and i wan-."

"What I mean is, why?" Lin interrupted. "Why would you wanna come to this hell-hole?" Lin asked as she sat on her desk and crossed her legs.

"Love."

Lin stared at him and licked her dry lips. After breaking out of her pause, she rolled her eyes and glared at the kid in front of her. She took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. The man in front of her decided this was a good opportunity to keep speaking, much to Lin's chagrin.

"Yeah. I want to fall in love. No other reason, right?" The young man said as he looked down towards his lap.

"Mister Nagami, actually, can I just call you by your first name?"

The man's head shot up in response. "Does a vampire play chess?"

"What?"

"Go ahead." The man nodded at Lin. She shook her head and rubbed her coal grey gauntlets on her sleeve.

"Okay, then," Lin looked down at the peach folder on the desk. "Kaoru, it says on your resume that you have three years of professional driving under your belt. Of course, if taxi driving is what you consider professional, then you have some work to do."

"I needed that job to support me through school, which i won't need to do if i get this one. Oh hey!" Kaoru pointed towards the window facing the hallway, where a burly man in black jumpsuit being prodded by an officer. "Li! How's it going? We used to be in school together. He seems to be doing fine." Kaoru waved and turned back around to face the annoyed Lin. He looked at her and cleared his throat.

Lin waved off the distraction. "You realize she is a very troublesome, high-maintenance person."

"Li? I'm relatively sure he's a man."

"No, not him. You know who I'm talking about." Lin busted out like her arm was being twisted.

"The Avatar?"

"No, the cabbage man. Of course the avatar." Lin said quickly.

"Have you ever been to a preschool before, Miss Beifong?" Kaoru responded back at a rapid fire speed.

"What? What does that have to d-?"

Kaoru picked up a small globe on Lin's desk. He moved his fingers around the cool metal frame of the hard sphere. While doing this, he continued to speak. "Miss Beifong, a mildly attractive and slightly reckless avatar pales next to a little kid who just found a barrel of rock candy and sugar-infused candy that decides to climb up and try to walk on the gutters of a two story building."

Lin's mouth was slightly agape and she looked behind her, as if to check for any camera's or microphones. She turned back to a smirking Kaoru, and she shook her hands in frustration. "Did someone get the baby down?"

"Well, I'm here, right. Somebody had to get me down." Kaoru laughed and nodded his head in remembrance.

Lin rubbed her head again and sighed, shuddering her shoulders down to its resting position. She stood up and paced towards the open window, letting the soft breeze of the sweltering summer day comb it's way towards her face.

"Avatar Korra feels she is very, uh, self-entitled."

"I would too if I saved the world every day." Kaoru said in a monotone voice.

"She hasn't saved the world yet, just the city."

"Well, nobody's perfect." Kaoru chuckled and looked at the oscillating clock on the dark-grey wall.

"Bottom line, she is hard-headed and tough to work with. She probably isn't going to take to well with this whole idea of an entourage."

"I'm sure any woman would love an entourage, ma'am."

"Mister Nagami, I need you to know that being her chauffeur is not going to be like a taxi service. the schedule going to be quite demanding and she is going to make things even tougher. The Avatar has to be on duty twenty-four seven, and needs the proper staff around her. She needs to be honed to social norms, and she needs to be shaped to handle the pressures of the public eye. Being her chauffeur, you would see her almost as much as her friends and family."

"So you want me to be friendly."

"You don't need to be. Just don't say anything weird or offensive towards her.

"Miss Beifong, if you had told me that when I first walked in, I would have left a long time ago." Kaoru sighed and looked down at his lap with a face f contemplation. He looked back up at Lin and smiled. "So, when is my first day."

"Tomorrow, first you have to meet her, then the rest of the staff. After that, we will officially instate you, then you can actually get behind the wheel. You are to wait at the dock every day at nine in the morning."

Kaoru shifted his eyes to the cork board on the wall, examining the wanted posters. He looked back at Lin and ticked softly. "What if she doesn't show up?"

"Then bring some magazines."

"Okay Miss Beifong, thank you very much." Kaoru stood up from the rickety wood chair and picked up the black briefcase that was resting next to his leg. He then outstretched his small right hand towards the impatient Lin. "And i understand I'm also on call for the Location team."

"Yes, everybody in this branch is."

"Okay, well thank you for letting me join, and I promise that the Avatar will not cause any damage." Kaoru started to leave the room, and reached for the door handle. Lin's words stopped his flight towards the exit.

"Actually, this is for her protection." Lin said in a loud voice. Kaoru stared at the dark mahogany door and sighed. He turned around like a spinning top and faced the aging chief of police.

"Lets be frank Miss Beifong. Have you seen the damage from the Equalists? Okay, well compare that to damage from the Avatar by herself. It's like trying to fit a pumpkin into an orange. We know it can't be done, so we just cut up the pieces. Of course, the metaphor doesn't quite work here, but I think you get what I'm saying. This branch is created for containment, not protection."

"That's one of the things you shouldn't tell her."

"My lips are sealed like a bank vault."

As Kaoru left, he took one last fleeting glance at the newspaper clipping on the cork board outside of Lin's office, proclaiming yesterday's break in to the Republic City Bank's main vault.

* * *

**A/N: Hey everybody. How's it going? So, being relatively knew and impressionable, I noticed a large lack of male OC's in this section. Also, OC stories in general. So, I decided to take matters into my hands. Of course, this is nowhere near perfect. I just wanted you all to know that ideas and suggestions are more than welcome. Also, SEND IN CHARACTERS. I decided to whore myself out by accepting OC's. So, I need drivers, pilots, mailman, rollerbladers, anybody that thinks they can be apart of the Avatar Transportation and Location Association. Any other suggestions would be great also. Don't hesitate to send characters or ideas in review, or PM. It only takes two seconds, and you can say your true emotions without the backlash and ridicule of real life! Make sure to include personality, appearance, history, and anything else you wan to ask. Make them great!  
**


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